I was watching the local news last night and at the very end of the broadcast the news anchor asked this, "Is your home a breeding ground for the Corona virus? Find out tomorrow." Find out tomorrow?! You're telling me that my house might be a breeding ground for the Corona virus and you expect me to wait until tomorrow?! The truth is, none of us like to wait. I don't know about you but personally this pandemic has revealed just what a "wait" problem I really have. None of us like to wait.
Most scholars say that David was anointed by Samuel at the age of 12-15 (1Sam 16:13), yet David had to wait until he was thirty years old to become king (2Sam 5:4). Fifteen years he waited to become king! That really puts this "stay-at-home" order into perspective. You see, most of us find ourselves in a holding pattern right now, waiting for things to return back to normal.
In a conversation the other day I heard someone say that they'd feel less anxious if they only knew how this pandemic situation was going to work out. You see, too often waiting produces anxiety and I believe this happens when our waiting is rooted in uncertainty. The Bible gives us a different perspective – it reminds us that our waiting should be rooted in the Lord, in fact the Bible tells us that the Lord is good to those who wait for Him (Lam. 3:25). So, instead of being rooted in uncertainty we are rooted in the Lord and instead of being anxious the Bible tells us not "to be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil. 4:6)
The prophet Isaiah reminds us that those "who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isa. 40:31) The Bible has a lot to say about waiting which tells us the manner in which we wait is pretty important to God. As believers we’re instructed not to be anxious but rather to trust in the Lord and He will renew our strength – He will bear us up on eagles' wings -- for He knows the plans He has for us, "plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11)
If the Lord knows the plans He has for you (and He does!), then there's no need to be anxious about how things will turn out. All we have to do is have faith (trust) in the Lord, waiting on Him and His plans – plans that prosper us! As you begin this week, be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him (Ps. 37:7).
May God bless you and keep you this week!
In Christ,
Patrick Ransom